Archive for the ‘Better Blogging’ Category
Better Blogging: Get More Hits
Written by SuperAngel on July 5, 2008 – 2:22 pm -
Recently a new blogger and friend asked me how he could get more hits to his site. Being the blogger who loves blogging so much and wants to share that love with others, I quickly compiled a list for him to go off.
Here is that list of ways I found that are great to get more hits to your blog.
#1: Get your name and url out there. Go to people’s blogs. Leave comments even if you don’t know them. Comment on their post, then kinda introduce yourself.
#2: Get things like mybloglog. When I see a new face on mybloglog on my sidebar I click it, and then go to their blog. If they are savory!
#3: Get on blogrolls. There are a couple blogrolls on the bottom of my right sidebar, you could consider joining.
#4: Get on stat counters. Counters like Homeschool Gold and Blog Statter.
#5: Send out blog alerts. When you send them out, people will see it and click it and read.
#6: Blog often. I try to blog on Saturdays and Wednesday, but usually end up posting more. I think that a blog receives more attention when it posts often. I would try to post more than once a week. If your friends know that you blog alot they will come and visit to see if you updated.
#7: Blog about many topics. The more things you blog about, the more searches your url will come up on.
#8: Blog about what you know. You don’t want to sound high and mighty, but you want people to know what you believe or what you have learned. I try hard not to talk about things that I don’t know about. I would go and post about how you can be an astronaut, because I don’t know much about it. Talking about things you don’t know about turns people off.
#9: Exchange ads and links. Talk to your friends about exchanging links and ads. I have an ad that people can put on their sidebar that links to me. If you don’t have an ad, you can email my awesome sister and she can come up with something that is totally you!
#10: Contribute to carnivals. Carnivals are a GREAT way to get your link out. I mostly participate in The Carnival of Homeschooling and The Homesteading Carnival. You can go through a list of carnivals at Blog Carnival.
#11: Enter contests. When you enter a contest, not only do you have a chance to win something, but you also get your link out.
#12: Hold giveaways. This goes hand in hand with entering contests. You can give away something that you won in a contest, if you don’t want it.
Comments:
When I first started, I commented all my friends. I got to know them. I made sure they knew me and would come and comment me back. Now I just comment people who comment and every once in awhile I comment people who I don’t normally comment.
Now if you want some things that will show you where people are coming from and things like that, I would get a Sitemeter for sure and probably a Feedjit.
I would get a Stumbleupon. My Mama has one and she blogged last nite and put it on her stumbleupon and had almost 200 people within less than 2 hours! After I saw that, I got a stumbleupon. lol!
Here is another article you should read about Feeds and Readers. That gives great advice on how to get them and what they do.
Pretty much the biggest thing is to get your link out! And also to get to know bloggers you want to be friends with. Make a relationship with bloggers. Another thing is you don’t just become a superblogger over nite. 
It does take time!
One thing to remember, blogging isn’t about getting people to your blog and getting a bunch a hits. It’s about relationships and about what you want from your blog. Mrs. C did a wonderful article about Better Blogging: The Purpose-Driven Blog. If you didn’t have a purpose for your blog when you started, maybe its time to think if you have one yet.
Better Blogging To You!
Tags: ads, Better Blogging, blogging, blogrolls, Blogstatter, Carnival of Homeschooling, carnivals, Contests, Feedjit, Feeds, giveaways, hits, HomeschoolGold, links, mybloglog, Readers, Sitemeter, Stumbleupon, The Homesteading Carnival
Posted in Better Blogging | 2 Comments »
Better Blogging: The Purpose-Driven Blog
Written by Dawn on June 21, 2008 – 12:00 am -
One of the toughest things can be deciding the purpose, or focus of your blog. For some bloggers it’s an easy choice - their passion is homeschooling, cooking, photography, crafts - and that subject dominates their blog. There is also what’s called a “mom blog”: a mom’s perspective on life with children.
I started my blog a couple of years after my mom passed away; I really don’t think it’s a coincidence that my first post was the same weekend as her birthday. She was very wise and witty, and her daily input and advice in my life was more important to me than I’d ever realized. I thought of how wonderful it would be if my mom had blogged; how special to read her words and relive precious memories through her eyes. That’s what prompted me: I wanted my children to have access to their mother’s words and images, the details of our lives recorded.
Do you blog with a purpose? Do your readers (even if they are don’t extend beyond your friends and family) go to your blog to find recipes? homeschooling tips? photography? parenting stories? Do you blog about a hodgepodge of topics? What fuels your blog, and where do you find inspiration?
Posted in Better Blogging | 5 Comments »
Setting Up Your Shot
Written by Sprittibee on June 14, 2008 – 5:05 pm -
A common misconception is that you have to be in a spectacular or exotic place to get a great photo. A perfect photo can come from wherever you are. It starts with your eye, your mind, and your heart. What is beautiful to you? Even dirty downtown cities can have wonderful photography treasures waiting to be discovered (if you carry a can of pepper mace and antibotic ointment). You don’t have to look farther than your own back yard. Add just a few moments to “set up your shot” and hone in on the subject matter, and you can be a “photographer” that produces quality work!
Here are a few photographs and their stories… to get your creative juices flowing:
CHALLENGE…
Place: any generic neighborhood neighborhood
Light: sunlight (avoid throwing shadows on the subject)
Idea: focus on a small bug or object and allow the child holding it to be centered in the background slightly blurred
CHALLENGE…
Place: any blossoming tree with low branches
Light: twilight (sunset works well, also)
Idea: find an object with an interesting silhouette against the twilight sky
CHALLENGE…
Place: on your street
Light: bright sunlight
Idea: capture a macro of an interesting budding wildflower that you haven’t seen before (try to blur the background and make it as solid of one color as you can)
CHALLENGE…
Place: a wooded back yard or park
Light: overcast day after 3pm and before 8pm
Idea: have your kids dress up and plan to take them for portraits, make sure to consider the background and poses, shoot a whole roll (around 24 shots or more) - don’t let them look straight at the camera the whole time (try to get some natural shots, some playful shots, some serious shots, and a few smiles)
CHALLENGE…
Place: anywhere
Light: enough light to not use a flash
Idea: get a close up of one person’s face while getting a blurred image of someone else beside or behind them (a good way to use this is to get the “birthday kid” in the foreground and a sibling in the background - telling the viewer that it was the birthday kid’s special day)
Hope you have enjoyed these photos and tips. Don’t be afraid of your camera - get out and have fun taking pictures. The more you practice, the better your photos will become. You don’t have to be a rich jet-setting National Geographic Photographer on assignment in some remote jungle to get interesting shots. Take photos of what is familiar to you - what you love - and take them well. You will treasure them!
Posted in Better Blogging, Foto Friday | 6 Comments »
Better Blogging: Auto Publish
Written by SuperAngel on June 7, 2008 – 2:12 am -Summer is the time for vacations. If you are a blogger and want to maintain your readership while you are gone on vacation, having fun with your family, there is an easy way you can still keep your blog up to date.
Blog sites like Blogger and Wordpress have the option that you can have a post set to post on a certain date that you choose. You can have an article all finished and then set the date you want it to publish on and it will automatically do it.
Other blog sites like HomeschoolBlogger don’t have this option, but you can have a draft ready, so that when you have time to post it, you will be able to.
Having drafts ready to go in your manager is a great way to keep up your blog when you are gone on vacation. It is so easy!
So better blogging to you this summer as you have a great time on vacation, as well as keeping up your blog!
Prayers and Blessings,
Tags: Blogger, Homeschoolblogger, publish, summer, vacation, Wordpress
Posted in Better Blogging | 4 Comments »
Better Blogging: Educational Discount Software
Written by Dawn on May 17, 2008 – 12:00 am -You may have noticed that many of the authors on this site are avid amateur photographers and share lots of tips, interviews, and programs related to photography. It’s easy to get excited about programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and then you do a little research and see the hefty pricetags these powerhouse programs carry. Ouch!
I feel your pain, and guess what: the companies that make these programs do, too. You may not realize it, but as an educator you can get serious discounts on all kinds of software, including Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and Corel Painter X.
Two popular academic discount distributors are Academic Superstore and JourneyEd.com. Here are examples of discounts on popular titles:
Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium: $594.95 (save $1205.00)
Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 with FREE 2GB Flash Drive: $249.98 (save $449.00)
Adobe Photoshop Elements: $64.95 (save $35.04)
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: $99.98 (save $199.00)
Many computer programs are more affordable than you think, if you take advantage of the discounts that are available to us as homeschoolers. Happy shopping!
I would also like to give a plug for GodlyHost web hosting. The HSBA site is now hosted there and we have had such a wonderful experience working with Paul. If you’re interested in privately hosting your WordPress blog, I would highly recommend this company.
Tags: academic discount software, blogging, photography, photoshop
Posted in Better Blogging | 2 Comments »
BlogSchooling
Written by Sisterlisa on May 5, 2008 – 1:00 am -One of the best things I have done for my children’s home education has been to incorporate their blogging into their curriculum. When I created Growing in Grace Magazine, I did not intentionally plan to use it
as an opportunity for my daughters to get their education, but it has turned into a wonderful opportunity for them, as well as a fantastic experience. Through the magazine my daughters have learned grammar, how to research a topic, write a ‘paper’, maneuver through the internet, basic HTML, and so much more! Using the computer is such a valuable tool in a child’s education in today’s fast paced world of technology.
There are millions of websites that are helpful for educating children in such a fun way, that they don’t feel as though they’re doing ’school work’. For our family, I select a few topics that are educational and that would interest my children.
They get to choose one or more to work on and I set a deadline for them. They can use the internet, the library, and people they know and trust to help them in their research. (Such as interviewing people with experience in the specific area of the topic they chose.) My daughter, Moni, has
chosen to join the States Exploration project that is an ongoing site where homeschooled bloggers can participate in the study of their state.
She also enjoys learning about domestic animals as she has written her articles about Pet Care. Not only that, but she is learning how to write devotions for young people ages tween and up. Moni enjoys writing with the other devotion authors we have there at GGM. Jessica, also known as Lady Jess, has learned how to create the print version of our magazine, editing, grammar, articles on beauty, health, devotions, and history. Jess also works on the computer for her dad’s ministry by creating charts
and various other forms.
It’s also interesting that some of their devotions are related to science, health, and history. We have made a few blogs required reading for my girls. I chose other homeschool girl blogs that are my girls ages. Jess and Moni read Miss Amanda’s and Miss Jocelyn’s blogs as well as some others. Gina is required to read Miss Hannah and Lady Rachel’s. In addition to the girls blogs they read, they are required to read all the articles each month and all the dailies at Growing in Grace Magazine.
There are also some great free homeschool newsletters on the net that are valuable resources as well. I also found a Drawing Blog that will guide you through learning to draw. The site is run by a teen homeschool blogger named BreezyTulip.
She guides you through what you will need, hoe to organize your tools and she is so talented herself. I’m always amazed when I find young ladies who are able to be so productive with their time, and turn around to teach others also.
I will continue to keep a list of different teaching blogs that I find that are geared for teens. If you are a homeschool teen and you have a teaching blog, let me know by replying below. You could be featured in an upcoming article here at the HSBA!
Blogging is a great way for the kids to use their blogs as a tool for their education. If you’d like to get your child started on a blog of their own, you can read through our Better Blogging articles here at the HSBA. If you have any questions at all, feel free to reply below and let us know. The HSBA writers are here to answer your questions. Always use wisdom when your children are on the internet.
Tags: blogging, education, homeschooling, Teens
Posted in Better Blogging, Teens, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Better Blogging: Adobe Photoshop Express
Written by Dawn on April 19, 2008 – 12:00 am -
This week I heard about a new online photo storage and editing program, Adobe Photoshop Express Beta (”beta” means that it’s still in the testing stage). In my experience Adobe products are always first-rate, so I decided to sign up for a free account and see what - if anything - makes Adobe Photoshop Express different from other photo storage and sharing programs like Photobucket or Picasa Web Albums.
Here’s a shot of the user interface, clean and easy to navigate:
“Free Online Software Brings Photoshop Technology to Anyone Taking Digital Photos”
I’ll bet that headline from the Adobe Press Release caught your eye! Here is where Adobe Photoshop Express stands apart from the photo storage crowd: online editing tools. We’re not just talking about cropping and red eye reduction, either.
Take a look at the editing screen. You get a large preview of your image as you test different editing techniques:
Here’s a closeup of those editing options:
Here are examples of what I was able to do with my photo using various Adobe Photoshop Express options.
Adjust highlight, fill light, sharpen, pop color:
Adjust hue:
Black and white:
Sketch:
This is only a sample of the photo editing power in this online service; for every technique demo I’ve given you, there were multiple additional options available.
While Adobe Photoshop Express is capable of editing exposure, saturation, and white balance, it can also perform the most commonly used photo editing techniques such as cropping, rotating, red-eye removal, and touch-ups. Once your image is ready, you can link, embed, email, or download it.
If you’re looking for a service with more than the usual photo storage and sharing options, look no further than Adobe Photoshop Express.
[At the time of publication there is a limit of 2GB storage; only JPEG images are accepted, and the service is open to U.S. residents only.]
Tags: adobe photoshop express, blogging, photo editing, photo storage, photography
Posted in Better Blogging | 3 Comments »
Better Blogging: Parental Involvement
Written by SuperAngel on April 5, 2008 – 12:53 am -
It has been said over and over again how dangerous the internet can be. While that is true, it is also true that is it can be very safe if monitored and kept in line. Tia over at the HSB Front Porch reminded us of this in URGENT HSB NEWS!. You must go over and read her post, whether you blog on HSB or not. Also, Mom posted some thoughts on Child Bloggers and Our Responsibility as Parents. They both gave some great thoughts on why it is a really smart thing to monitor your children.
Some things you can do as a parent to be involved in your child’s blogging is:
Having complete access to your children’s blog accounts, emails, and private messages is very important. It is wise to know what is going on in your child’s life! Also, so you can protect them from unsavory things that may come through any of those outlets.
Comment moderation is a great way to monitor what your child is being told. I use comment moderation, not to be in control of what is being said persay, but to make sure that it nothing goes through that would harm or offend anyone. I do let things go through that may dissent from my opinion to an extent.
Read your child’s post before they post them. My mom reads all my posts and articles before I post or submit them. Not because I would say anything I shouldn’t but instead to check for any errors that I may have done and to make sure everything I say is in moderation and love.
Know your children’s friends. You should know your children’s friends and what they think or say or believe, so that you know your child is not learning about something that you don’t think is right.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Allow your children to go sites you approve. Don’t just let them surf the net. They need to have a purpose, so that they are productive with their time.
Ephesians 5:16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Stay in touch with your child’s blog! Leave them comments. When you leave comments and sign Mom or Dad then your children’s friends and commenters will know who you are!
Make blogging a learning experience. Assign your children blog posts. Think of things they can blog about that you can count as schoolwork.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Another thing that you can teach your children through blogging is proper etiquette. In answering comments and being responsible for what they say and how they say it. I have learned so much about people and how to deal and talk to them.
Colossians 4:5
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
If you really concerned, you can always make the blog private and only invite the people you feel you want to blog with your child.
I hope that helps you. One of the keys to better blogging is being informed! If you are thinking about getting a blog for your child, don’t be scared. It is a great thing to be watchful, but not afraid. Blogging has drastically changed my life and I can’t imagine my life without it!
If you do decide to get your child a blog, I would be happy to let you know of some good blogs. If you as a mom or dad are looking for some new blogs, I would love to let you know of some too!
Better Blogging to you!
Prayers and Blessings,
Posted in Better Blogging | 2 Comments »
Better Blogging: Review
Written by Sprittibee on March 29, 2008 – 7:18 pm -
I sat down to write this post and being the anal retentive “eye-for-detail” gal that I am, I had to go back and review all the past posts to see what we have covered to make sure I didn’t repeat something you already know. Guess what?! I learned a lot reading all those posts and wanted to put all the links here again so you could see what you have been missing if you haven’t tuned in to the HSBA’s Better Blogging series. The ladies that have posted on this topic have done a smash-up job and have covered so much territory that it begs to be repeated. I’ll have to keep my new ideas for next week… or pass them on to the next author since Saturday really ISN’T my scheduled day to post!We hope that our site is a beacon of HELP for homeschoolers and homeschool bloggers and this series is dedicated to making blogging more fun, easy, and meaningful for each of you. We know that you all have something to say, and we hope to help you find ways to say it well!
Be sure to click back on the links above each section to review the post if you want further details about any of these abbreviated tips on how to improve your blogging, share your voice, show us your images, increase your traffic, etc. I have grossly shortened much of the wisdom to create a quick reference list for you all… so by all means, click and read the real thing if you find a particular tip helpful!
Hallie’s First Better Blogging Post
- Make your site Eye Candy (design is king)
- Be genuine (be yourself)
- Learn from successful bloggers
- Learn basic HTML
- Back up your template
- Keep a notebook for your blog thoughts
- Write in advance (drafts are your friends)
- Link, Link, Link
- Get a free counter
Hallie’s Second Better Blogging Post
- Blog daily
- Create GREAT content
- Comment, Comment, Comment
- Promote your blog
- Join blogrolls
- Use catchy post titles
- Submit to directories of like-minded folk
- Host a carnival
- Have a contest
- Do a meme
- Use Technorati
- Use trackbacks
- Ping
- Be patient (a readership won’t appear over night)
Hallie’s Third Better Blogging Post
- Protect your identity online (be safe)
- Respond to your commentors
Dawn’s First Better Blogging Post
- Keep an eye on the calendar (especially if you have a writing assignment on a group blog)
- Write about what you know and love
- Share cool discoveries
- Take notes at home (kids are great blog material!)
- Guard your mouth (think first before you speak - you might get it thrown back at you later)
- Mingle (read and comment on other blogs!)
Amanda’s First Better Blogging Post
- Comment on your own blog’s posts in the comment thread
- Keep your comments on topic in other’s posts
- Don’t be anonymous
- Stay ahead of contest deadlines
- Get the word out and promote your contests (and your friends’ contests)
Amanda’s Second Better Blogging Post
- RSS Tips about the following blog reader services: sitemeter, homeschool gold, blogstatter, clustrmaps, feedburner, feedblitz, bloglines, technorati
Dawn’s Second Better Blogging Post
- Strikethrough Text
- Picasa photo uploading and photo library tutorials
Amanda’s Third Better Blogging Post
- Keyboard shortcut Chart
Amanda’s Fourth Better Blogging Post
- Photos and Graphics sites to help give your blog pizazz
Amanda’s Fifth Better Blogging Post
- How to post images with html
- How to post images with links
- How to align images left, right, center
- How to change font colors
Now, I don’t know about you, but those are some tips I want to have in one place for future reference. Even old bloggers can learn new tricks.
You can also stop over at my blog and read one or two of my older posts about blogging. A few of the tips above may be on those older posts as well. As you will find, if you read other bloggers’ posts on blogging, one thread will stand out: BLOG ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE or KNOW. That is the key to making sure your content is GREAT. It is, after all, the content that will keep your visitors coming back. Being truthful, being yourself and sharing your passion is what makes people flock to BLOGS for news rather than just relying on the media. Politicians KNOW THIS. I know because they contact bloggers regularly to join their campaigns! You can tell if someone is genuine when you read their blogs. I love REAL people.
I hope that you enjoy our thoughts here at the HSBA as we continue to serve you! Happy homeschooling and blogging!
Love in Him,
Tags: blogging, Blogging+Tips
Posted in Better Blogging | 2 Comments »
Better Blogging: HTML Hints
Written by SuperAngel on March 1, 2008 – 5:28 pm - For Better Blogging I would like to share some HTML hints.
There are some really nifty things you can do with html while blogging. Not all blog sites have a weblink fill-in box, and if that is the case you can write up your own html so that it will link on a wordpad or word.
IMAGES only:
< img src= ” http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Super_Angel/The%20Daily%20Planet/
TheDailyPlanetBannerUSE.jpg ” >< /a>
LINKS only:
< a href = ” http://superangelsblog.com/ ” > The Daily Planet< /a>
LINKS and IMAGES
< a href = ” http://superangelsblog.com”>< img src = ” http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Super_Angel/The%20Daily%20Planet/
TheDailyPlanetBannerUSE.jpg” ></a>
You can also use this code: < a href = ” http://superangelsblog.com”>< img src = ” http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Super_Angel/The%20Daily%20Planet/
TheDailyPlanetBannerUSE.jpg” border=”0″/></a>
so you when you have a graphic you won’t have a border around it since its a link.
Another code you can use is: < a href = ” http://superangelsblog.com”>< img src = ” http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Super_Angel/The%20Daily%20Planet/
TheDailyPlanetBannerUSE.jpg” align=”left”> </a>
That will move your graphic to the left or right and bring the words up next to it.
You can also make a font and color code to use too: <font color=”#ffcc00″ size=”2″ > The Daily Planet </font >.
You can use: <s >The Daily Planet</s > to strike out your wording. Or <b >The Daily Planet</b > to bold it. <u > The Daily Planet</u > to underline, and <i > The Daily Planet</i > to italicize it.
When you are finished with your coding, take it and insert it into your source and voila! You just made your own coding!
Better Blogging to all!
Prayers and Blessings,
Posted in Better Blogging, Everyday Posts | No Comments »
